BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 4237

By: Moody

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that mental health first aid training provided by local mental health authorities through a grant program should be expanded. H.B. 4237 makes public or private university employees who regularly interact with university students eligible for such training through the grant program and specifies that such training provided to educators through an authority's contract with a regional education service center includes such university employees, school district employees, and school resource officers.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 4237 amends the Health and Safety Code to make a university employee, defined by the bill as a person employed by a public or private institution of higher education who regularly interacts with students enrolled at the university through the course of the person's duties, eligible for training provided through Department of State Health Services grants for certain mental health first aid training provided by local mental health authorities. The bill expands  the authorization for a local mental health authority to contract with a regional education service center to provide a mental health first aid training program to educators to include the provision of such a program to university employees, school district employees, and school resource officers.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.